A study released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA) shows that parking areas for trucks and buses
along major roads and highways are more than adequate across the nation when
both public and commercial parking facilities are factored in.

The study included a state-by-state breakdown of commercial and public rest
areas. Based on that combination, the study showed a sufficient supply in
eight states, a surplus in 29 states and a shortage in 12 states. Shortages
at commercial truck stops and travel plazas were far less common and largely
offset public shortages in 35 states. Alaska was excepted in the study
because it did not report a supply of commercial spaces.

"Trucks play an essential role in transporting goods and keeping America's
economy strong," U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said. "We
will continue to promote dialogue among states, municipalities, and the
private sector to ensure the adequacy of truck parking across the nation.
Sufficient rest opportunity for drivers is critical to highway safety."

The study said that public rest areas along the National Highway System
(NHS) were never intended and will never be sufficient to accommodate
truck-parking demand. As a result, commercial truck stop and travel plaza
industry, state highway agencies, and turnpike authorities should and will
continue to be principal suppliers of parking facilities for commercial
vehicles along major roads and highways nationwide.

The study showed that an estimated 315,850 parking spaces at public rest
areas and commercial truck stops and travel plazas serve Interstate highways
and other NHS routes. About 90 percent of those spaces were in commercial
truck stops and travel plazas and about 10 percent were in public rest
areas.

The study, which was mandated by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st
Century (TEA-21), included a nationwide estimate of peak hour demand for
commercial truck parking facilities at public rest areas and commercial
truck stops and travel plazas. The demand estimate for truck parking
facilities was based on total hours of travel, time and duration of stops,
and current federal hours-of-service regulations.

The response of the states to the adequacy of truck parking issues varies.
Many states periodically review their rest areas to help ensure that these
facilities address current demand. Some states say that they expect
expansion of commercial truck stop and travel plaza facilities will meet the
demand for truck parking. Others are involved in public-private
partnerships to seek new solutions to the truck parking issues.

Individual state action plans are the core strategy for reducing shortages.
During the course of the study, individual states drafted plans for
addressing truck parking shortages. Recommendations for states fell into
six broad categories:

Expand or improve public rest areas;

Expand or improve commercial truck stops and travel plazas;

Encourage the formation of public-private partnerships;

Educate or inform drivers about available spaces;

Change parking enforcement rules; and

Conduct additional studies.

Another factor is safety. Driver fatigue is widely recognized by
government, industry stakeholders, and highway safety advocates as a serious
highway safety problem. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates
that driver fatigue contributes to about 800 deaths in truck crashes each
year. A preliminary estimate by the department's National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration indicates that fatalities involving large trucks
declined slightly to 5,192 in 2001 from 5,211 in 2000.

"Safety is our highest transportation priority, and we must find ways to
reduce fatigue- related crashes," FHWA Administrator Mary E. Peters said.
"We are working with our state and local partners, as well as with the
private sector, to make sure that drivers of trucks and buses have
sufficient parking areas for rest stops when they reach their
hours-of-service limit."

A copy of the full report can be viewed on the agency web site:
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/repctoc.htm